Hollow metal door and the like.



A. J. ELLIS.

HOLLOW METAL noon AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 4, 1911.

Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

gay 1 Q/Vl li mzooeo UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED ELLIS, OF WOODCLIFF-ON-HUDSON NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO A. J. ELLIS, INC., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

HOLLOW METAL DOOR AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 4, 1911.

I To all whom it may conce'm:

' and adjoinin Be it known that I, ALFRED J. ELLIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Woodclifi-on-Hudson, township of North Bergen, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have inVented certain new and useful Improvements in Hollow Metal Doors and the Like, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

' This invention relates to hollow metal doors, windows, and the like, and more particularly to an improvement in the construction disclosed in a co-pending application Serial No.57 9,219, filed August 27, 1910, in the names of Alfred J. Ellis and Charles E1 Nellis. Among the essential features therein presented were the provision of means for interlocking the respective elements of a door, or the like, with the further provision of stifienin devices adapted to co-act with the interloc ingportions aforesaid to space the same and to render the entire structure as rigid as possible.

. I have now devised stiffening means which are superior in many respects to those described in the aforesaid application, and which are adapted to co-act more efficiently with the novel interlocking flange construction used, to the end that a structure of far greater strength is obtainable, while the cost of production is decreased. As in the foregoing case, the general construction is such that the securing devices or interlocking portions may be made of substantially uniform sizes, even in doors or windows of different dimensions. These and other features of my invention will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out and set forth in the ap nded claims.

eferring to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and in which like characters designate like parts throughout theseveralviews: Figure 1 is an elevation of a door constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertidal section of the said door taken on -the line II-II of Fig. 1, portions of the panel parts being broken away in order that e essential features may be better illustrated. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse section taken on the line IIIIII of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a perspective detail of a fragment of one of the novel stiffening members employed.

-In the drawings, the stiles of the door have been designated 1, the upper rail 2, the middle rail 3, and bottom rail 4. Each of the said stiles is composed of a bent sheet of metal, substantially U-shape in cross section, the inner edges of which are folded over and then bent at right angles tothe plane of such fold and thereafter again folded in such 'manner as to form on each side of the stile a plurality of grooved flanges, such flanges being preferably substantially normal to each other. The rails also involve much the same construction except that I prefer to form the lateral plates thereof-separate and distinct from each other instead of from a single plate as in the construction of -the stiles. This obviously,'however, is merely a matter of detail. The size and shape of the flanges in both the rails and stiles are preferably identical, so that but few presses or rolls need be employed in the manufacture of the parts of my doors, windows, or the like. Considering now the parts of the compound flanges in detail, the metal or other material of which the side of the stile or rail is composed is preferably folded back upon itself as at 6, but the laterally disposed web 7 formed by the so folded material is spaced from the body of the membcr'to provide a rather deep interiorly opening groove 8. These grooves I shall for convenience designate channel grooves as they are intended to receive the flanges of the stiffening members, if such members be provided with flanges. The metal of the stile, rail, or like part is then bent substantially normal to the surfaces of the webs 7 to form the inwardly directed webs 9; and finally the edges of ,these inner webs are shown as being bent or folded back over the bodies thereof to form recessed or grooved, interiorly directed flanges similar to those just described, but substantially normal thereto. The folded edges of these flanges have been designated 10, and the grooves so formed 11.

Considering now the stiles more part-ionlarly, I prefer to close the interior open sides thereof by stiffening members. These members may be of two forms, to wit, tongue carrying channel shaped members such as those shown at 12, or tongue carrying plate shaped members such as those shown at 13. The only substantial diiference between' members 12 and 13 is that the members 12 have laterally projecting flanges 14 which are adapted to cnterthe grooves 8 above rc- .ferred to, wl1'ile the plate members 13are unprovided with such flanges, but are, however, preferably of suflicient width to extend across the space between the inner walls of, for example, the rail forming plates. In each case these stiffening members, are provided with struck-up lugs or tongues 15 which areformed directly from the body of the. member, said lugs or tongues being preferably substantially L-shaped as shown in Fig. 4; so that a portion. 16 of each tongue extends in substantial parallelism with thebody of the stiffening member, and is spaced therefrom a sufficient distance to receive one of the inwardly directed grooved flanges abov e described between its under surface and the adjacent surface of the said body,.as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Grooves 8 and 11 preferably extend the-entire length of the stile or rail forming parts as the case may be, upon either side thereof, and are adapted for the reception of corresponding flanges upon the respective sections 17 of the molding and for the reception of other interlocking parts as described in my copending application aforesaid. In fact, except for the inclusion of the novel stiffening members above referred to, a doorsuch as that herein described will be substantially similar to that described in the aforesaid application, and, just as in the foregoing case, it has been In object to so form. the respective interlocking parts as to provide practically homogeneous locking devices throughout the structure.

A door, or the like, constructed as herein shown may be assembled in much the same manner as described in my said'former application;but by reason of the tongues now provided on the stiffening members, it is herein necessary to slide a stiffening memher in the direct-ion of its length into position when positioning the same in the structure, in place of merelymoving the simple sti-flening channel heretofore employed upwardly, downwardly, or laterally as the casev might be, toward the respective inwardly directed flanges. A great advantage results,

v however, from this feature in that the channel-shaped stiffening members may now be rigidly interlocked with the other-parts of the door, window, or the like, instead of having a simple flange and groove connection therewith, which must be se arately secured, as by welding, against ateral displacement. In my previously described construction set forth in the said former a plication, it was necessary to secure the sti ening member in place by welding, or the like, whereas in the present construction the stiffening devices or members whether of plate or channel form cannot. become displaced, and hence welding is not absolutely necessary. I prefer, however, to Weld the tongues 15 to the inwardly projecting .fla'nge, whereas I have now discovered that it is possible to do away with this notching of-the parts and to weld the extremities of the respective alined elements together on the lines where they interlock, directly at the extremities of such'parts and before the same are slipped into position between the longitudinally extending'elem'ents, which in this exemplification of my invention are the stiles 1. In other words, I have now provided interlocking flange elements, the extremities of the interlocking flanges of which are Welded together. As 1n the former case, if the structure in question he a door, the same may be provided with panels 18 and 19, panel 19, for example, be ing of asbestos or other suitable material, and panel 18 of glass. In the latter case it is desirable to provide means for readily removing or replacing the same, and the molding therearound may be hence formed as shown in Fig. 2, which construction is fully described in the said co-pending application, and it will hence be merely necessary to direct attention to a slight change herein necessitated by the provision of the-tongues upon the corresponding stiffening members. As shown in Fig. 2 the tongues, at the right hand side of said figure, space the portion 19 of the molding 20 from the adjacent surface of the interiorly directed grooved flange whereas in the said former application such portion of the molding was preferably disposed directly in'contact with such surface. The channel form of the stiffening'member may be used where great strength is required, but in most instances the plate form of the same will be employed, as it is cheaper to manufacture and affords sufficient rigidity by reason of the provision of the flange engaging tongues. A door, for example, constructed like that shown herein is exceedingly strong and is practically absolutely fireproof, as it will be observed that all of the welded-connections are covered by juxtaposed parts and are hence protected in case of exposure to intense heat. 7

The top and bottom edges of the door herein disclosed are materially stronger and more rigid than the corresponding parts in the door set forth in the co-pending application aforesaid, in that herein not only Is the improved stiffening member utilized as shown in Fig. 2, but the cover plates 21 at the respective ends of the door are provided with L-shaped flanges the portions 22 of which are received by the correspondinggrooves -11 of the inwardly directed flanges of the rail lates 2, being slidably entered thereinto an d spotwelded when the door has been assembled. 1

It may sometimes be advisable to use the tongued channel stifi'eners in combination with the tongued plate stiifeners in the same structure, as shown in the accompanying drawing wherein the door has channeled stifleners extending lengthwise thereof and plate stifl'eners extending across its width at suitable intervals.

In conclusion, I particularly wish to point out that I contemplate various applications of my herein described invention, the door shown in the accompanying drawings being but one exemplification thereof, so that the said invention should only be limited by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

their respective abutting e of substantially Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a sheet metal structure having substantially parallel opposed walls, sheet metal parts forming portions of said walls, each having a laterally extending flange, said flanges being directed toward each other, and a sheet metal stiffening and s acing member for said walls, said member aving ofl'set tongues struck up from the body thereof, said flanges being received andfirmly held between the respective tongues and portions of said member adjacent to said tongue.

2. In a sheet metal structure, a plurality rectangular, juxtaposed parts having interlocking connections at ges, some of said parts belng disposed in substantial parallelism side by side intermediate others of said parts, the interlocking edges of the latter extendin over the line or lines of jointure of the said intermediate parts, said intermediate parts being welded together at the ends of said lines of jointure, and the said other welds.

13. In a sheet metal structure, in combination, a sheet metal part havin a portion thereof adjacent its edge folde stantially into parallelism with the general surface of the part, the folded over portion having a substantially ninety degree bend adjacent the folding line and the material between said bend and the edge of said art being further folded back upon itsel to form a recessed flan e, such flange extending out laterally from t e body of the part, the extreme edge of thepart being spaced from the last mentioned folded portion to form together with the recess in the flange aforesaid a' substantially L-shaped groove, a cooperating art adapted to enter said groove, and a sti ening member having an offset tongue struck-up from the body thereof, said parts covering and protecting the tongue and other portions of said member being ada ted to embrace the flange aforesaid there etween.

4.- In a sheet metal structure havin substantially parallel opposed front an rear walls, flan ed sheet metal parts forming portions 0 said walls, and a sheet metal stiffening and s acing member for said walls, said mem er having offset tongues struck u from the body thereof, one of said tongues eing adjacent the front Wall and another bein adjacent the rear wall, flanges of the said 5 eet metal parts being recessed and firmly held between the respective tongues and portions of said member adjacent to said tongues.

In witness whereof, I subscribe my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED J. ELLIS.

Witnessesz WALDO M. Crmrm, WIULIAM C. LARY.

back sub- 

